I don't expect anything from Bogut on the offensive end. Since that gruesome elbow injury, he's been dead weight on one side of the court and he has yet to display the solid close-mid-range jumper he had before the injury.

But that's okay! The idea of Bogut doing for the W's what Tyson Chandler did for the Mavs, or what KG did for the Celtics' attitude has me jumping up and down. I loved the trade when it happened, because even if his elbow is a wreck, you don't need finesse to be a defensive center. He's one of the few guys in the league who you can expect to change culture.

My favorite part: Bogut played 65 games in 2010 and 69 games in 2009. Milwaulkee finished 4th and 2nd in team defensive efficiency, respectively. He played 10 games last year and they finished 16th. It seems like everyone in the media is being super conservative on the Warriors, and projecting a healthy Bogut to improve them from league worst to around 20th, but his time with the Bucks suggests that the W's could be a good defensive team in a year or two.

Excellent point, regarding Bogut's shooting stroke... though I'd hardly call him offensive dead weight. He can still finish, he's still a savvy passer, and he still sets a flattening screen. That's more than Biedrins can say.

As far as the stroke, he's claiming that all this time off has given him time to adjust his touch... but, you're right, speaking purely off what he's displayed in game time since his injury, that elbow looks like it really limits his extension while shooting.

Raider1015 wrote:I don't expect anything from Bogut on the offensive end. Since that gruesome elbow injury, he's been dead weight on one side of the court and he has yet to display the solid close-mid-range jumper he had before the injury.

But that's okay! The idea of Bogut doing for the W's what Tyson Chandler did for the Mavs, or what KG did for the Celtics' attitude has me jumping up and down. I loved the trade when it happened, because even if his elbow is a wreck, you don't need finesse to be a defensive center. He's one of the few guys in the league who you can expect to change culture.

My favorite part: Bogut played 65 games in 2010 and 69 games in 2009. Milwaulkee finished 4th and 2nd in team defensive efficiency, respectively. He played 10 games last year and they finished 16th. It seems like everyone in the media is being super conservative on the Warriors, and projecting a healthy Bogut to improve them from league worst to around 20th, but his time with the Bucks suggests that the W's could be a good defensive team in a year or two.

Be great if Bogut could be fully mobile and capable offensively again, but truth is that all he has to do is score close to the basket and on putbacks. Shooting is up to the other many players on the team. Bogut has to play most games this season, rebound and defend well and he is probably the most valuable player here.

That point about what he meant to Milwaukee defensively is profound. That's the sort of difference elite alltime players make. Players like Olajuwon, Robinson, Mourning and Ewing.

Raider1015 wrote:I don't expect anything from Bogut on the offensive end. Since that gruesome elbow injury, he's been dead weight on one side of the court and he has yet to display the solid close-mid-range jumper he had before the injury.

But that's okay! The idea of Bogut doing for the W's what Tyson Chandler did for the Mavs, or what KG did for the Celtics' attitude has me jumping up and down. I loved the trade when it happened, because even if his elbow is a wreck, you don't need finesse to be a defensive center. He's one of the few guys in the league who you can expect to change culture.

My favorite part: Bogut played 65 games in 2010 and 69 games in 2009. Milwaulkee finished 4th and 2nd in team defensive efficiency, respectively. He played 10 games last year and they finished 16th. It seems like everyone in the media is being super conservative on the Warriors, and projecting a healthy Bogut to improve them from league worst to around 20th, but his time with the Bucks suggests that the W's could be a good defensive team in a year or two.

Be great if Bogut could be fully mobile and capable offensively again, but truth is that all he has to do is score close to the basket and on putbacks. Shooting is up to the other many players on the team. Bogut has to play most games this season, rebound and defend well and he is probably the most valuable player here.

That point about what he meant to Milwaukee defensively is profound. That's the sort of difference elite alltime players make. Players like Olajuwon, Robinson, Mourning and Ewing.

Well, careful migs. Hakeem, Robinson, and Ewing were elite on both sides of the floor. Bogut is a tremendous defensive presence, but he won't be averaging anything near 20 points like those 3.

I'd liken him a little more to a guy like Dikembe Mutumbo, or perhaps Ben Wallace. Mourning was a solid example too. If Bogut is shutting down the paint and ensuring rebounding dominance for our squad, he's doing his job. But offensively, he's a screen-setter, a finisher, and only an occasional low post option. Bogut's gonna feast on smaller defenders, but don't expect more than 10 points against other 7-footers. Our big gun in the front court, offensively, is Lee... And with the threat of Bogut's size looming over the opposition, Lee may even increase his scoring to 22 or 23 points. I suspect both players will finish with these sort of stat lines:

However, despite Lee having superior traditional stats, Andrew Bogut's advanced numbers will be far more dominant. Bogut's +/-, Rebounding Rate, and Defensive Rating will all lead the team by a mile.

And Bogut's "Defensive Plays" (blocks + steals + charges taken) might very well lead the league. 2 seasons ago, when Bogut led the league in BPG (2.6), he trailed on Dwight Howard, the Defensive Player of the Year, in Defensive Plays. And despite leading the league in BPG, 6th in charges taken, and ranking 2nd in Defensive Plays... Bogut still only got 6 first-place DPoY ballots to Howard's 114. Talk about big market bias...

Warriors preseason: Andrew Bogut cleared for contact drills +By Michael Jones on Oct 15, 7:17pGolden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut continues to recover from ankle surgery and took a major step forward in his recovery as he was cleared for one-on-one contact drills on Monday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The former Utah Ute and Milwaukee Buck was acquired by the Warriors prior to the 2011-2012 trade deadline in March and has yet to play a game for the Warriors. Head coach Mark Jackson has remained hopeful that Bogut can play in at least one or two exhibition games in preparation for a full 82-game season.

"His presence alone makes a difference. He's doing all of the things he's supposed to do with rehab and treatment. He looks better and better every day. We're very happy with where he is right now, and we hope he'll be in a position to get some work prior to this thing starting."

Bogut has had a history of injuries, which he has labeled as freak ailments and not chronic. Still, he has to deal with the stigma that he is injury-prone and is anxious to prove himself to his new teammates as a reliable component.

The Warriors are in the midst of a self-induced nine-game road trip that is meant to prepare them for similar trips during the regular season.

All these other extravagant offensive options (the pick-an-pops, the elbow options, the low post feeds, the midrange jumpers) are going to go to Lee and Landry. Bogut isn't here to score 20 points or draw Shaq double-teams; he's here for his defensive savvy, his size on the glass, and his vocal leadership. As I stated in the above post, Bogut's contributions are largely intangible and will show up heavily in advanced statistics, such as +/-, Defensive Plays, Defensive Rating, Rebounding Rate, and Defensive Efficiency. If Warriors fans are expecting the stat line of a Bynum or a Howard, they'll be left wanting. Bogut's not here to be anyone's fantasy player of the week.

When you've got Mark Jackson already declaring that Festus Ezeli will be his starting center in case Andrew Bogut isn't ready to go, there's still no time table for his return a week before the opener, and - according to the SJ Merc - Bogut won't even be cleared for full contact until October 27th... It's just all adding up to a last minute buzz kill. For months, Bogey's been mums the word on when EXACTLY he'll be back and I've gone from uneasiness to worried to defeated. I'm jumping the gun and readying myself for the bad news ahead of time. Anyone confident enough to adopt the opposite stance?

I thought it was obvious he wasn't going to play in the opener about two weeks ago. However, as long as Curry plays I think we have a good shot. However, PHX is at home and that could prove the dagger for us on opening day.

The season opener is overrated. Why play him when he's not ready and risk him hurting himself more for a setback? Plus the season opener is not at home. If we could get him back in the first 3 to 5 games I'll be happy. We have to be realistic here. Btw how long is birderins out?

Hopefully indefinitely. I'd rather see Jeremy Tyler, David Lee, and Carl Landry play musical chairs at the 5 than give any sort of run to Biedrins.

Bogut's injury still has no time table. I understand why you guys would want to go with the "wait and see how he feels" technique, but there's a reason teams leave things ambiguous instead of clear: What if he's sore after they clear him to play? What if he can't go 10 minutes without limping? Then what? Our entire season is dependent on that guy's ankle, yet nobody can tell the fans a ball-park date for when he's supposed to return? That's awfully suspicious, IMO.

This is a bigger story than its being made out to be: the team is better with Curry, but it's still only in the 13-8 seed range without Bogut. And bear in mind, this isn't Blake Griffin or Greg Oden or some dude in his 2nd or 3rd year: Bogut's a 7-year veteran and there's no guarantee he even resigns here after his contract expires. I'd hate to be rehabbing the ankle for the future center of the Miami Heat. However you slice it, and to clarify I'm not saying rush him back but, however this all plays out, it's very suspect that the team is so cryptic on Bogut's condition.